Travel: A Short Guide to LA's Olvera Street

Olvera Street is one of my favorite places to spend a sunny, margarita-filled LA afternoon.

It's Los Angeles' original city center and the plaza is surrounded by the oldest buildings in the city, some from the 1800s.

It's also home to an important 1932 mural by David Alfaro Siqueiros. "American Tropical" is painted along the exterior of the second floor of Olvera Street’s Italian Hall. Its anti American-Imperialist message made it pretty unpopular and it was white washed shortly after it was finished which actually ended up preserving it much better than many of Siqueiros' outdoor murals. It was only recently re-unveiled in 2012.

The plaza is now an open air market filled with all sorts of Mexican candies and toys, embroidered dresses, and magical talismans.

Olvera Street hosts Mexican cultural events throughout the year with traditional dancers, open air dance floors with DJs playing Mexican dance music, and great excuses to dress up.

Day of the Dead on Olvera Street feels like you are actually in Mexico - everyone paints their faces and wears elaborate costumes and there are traditional healers or brujos who will perform a sage ritual over you to rid you negative influences. Magic I tell you!

The street is lined with several restaurants all with lovely outdoor patios but the the best is La Golondrina. The menu is authentic old school Mexican - try the chicarron tortilla soup and the velvety mango margarita.

About

Hello! My name is Chelsea and I believe in living beautifully on the cheap. Here you'll find delicious budget-friendly meals, lessons learned while traveling, ways to fill your home and life with simple pleasures, and other skills for the frugal aesthete.